RYghte honourable syr , I haue dyuers tymes syth it hath pleased god to trouble me by makynge me to take in hand this enterprise of Polone writen to your honour , as to one that both for countreyes sake , and for our olde acquiantaunce , and also for his goodnes doth vouchesafe to bee my father and protectour in my great tormentes and troubles , wherin I haue ben wrapped , prayeng you always that it woulde please you to ayde me with youre authoritie ( whyche is so greate with our holy fathers holines ) that I may be hable to come out of this helle , and retourne to Rome , or to my church . But all the troubles paste are nothyng in respecte of those that I suffer at this presente , the whiche I can not but write vnto you , to th intent that your honour vnderstanding it , may be moued to haue compassion on my misfortune , and to doo your vttermost to cause me to be called home , whiche I beseeche you on my knees liftyng vp my handes . The new turmoiles wherof I write vnto you be these .

The lord Nicholas Raduil Counte Palatin of Vilna is doubtles one of the gretest men of power & authoritie within all the realme of Polone . And as he is also one of the chiefest that dothe fauour and promote the cause of the Lutherians , so he shulde not be . Nowe I being such a man both of nature & sure iudgement that I can not ( I can not , I say ) suffer that the most holy sea apostolike of Rome shulde be thus rent in pieces & railed on ; as I see it euery daye rent & railed on in dede , I determined with my selfe no longer to dissemble , but to pull of my visour , and to write vnto this lorde a playne letter afmy mynde without respecte .

Neuerthelesse to colour the matter the better , I fayned , that one M. Adam Conarskye secretary to the kinge , had saluted me by his letters , & had rehersed many frendely wordes on the behalf of his lordship . And vpon this occasion I began my letter , whettyng my wittes , & makynge it as earnest and as piththy as I coulde possible : and I sente it hym the .21 . of February , at whiche time I was at a castell of the archbishop of Gnezna called Louitz , where I also am at this present . Th effect of this letter was , that I admonished this lorde Count Palatine , how thorough the hole realme it was comonly reported , that his lordship agreed with the Lutherians in all pointes . And I began to reherse theym vnto him particularly one by one . And in the ende I exhorted him to giue ouer & leaue these hereticall opinions , for otherwise God woulde punisshe hym . The truth is , I touched all the hole rable of the Lutherans , and spake of their doinges , as muche as the greate and inwarde hatred I beare them could expresse . For in dede ther is none euill , but it maye be well spoken of those villaines . This lord the Counte Palatine , who I thought seinge my letters so true and so wel proued with good reasons , shuld haue bene pulled from his practisyng with the Lutherans , made me such an answer ( right honorable M. Petre ) as Martin Luther him selfe wold not haue done , I do not say , vnto a man in my state ( which am neuertheles a minister & legate , albeit vnworthy of our holy fathers holynesse , & of his most holy sea of Rome ) but not to any common person wer he neuer so vile & miserable . I would haue sent your honour a copy of the same answer , but to tell you the truth me thought it wold sound to our very great shame , if it should be redde . And therfore I tremble for very feare , least by one meanes or other it will he put foorthe in print , and perchaunce translated into diuers tongues . For I knowe the caste of these heretykes wherwith God is not pleased . But it maye please your honour to heare the rest .

Whan I was in the yeare .1548 . ioyned in commission with the most Reuerende than bishop of Fano now worthyly a Cardinal & with the Reuerend of good memory , Ferentinus our holy fathers nuncio or legate in Germany , after the victory that th emperor had ouer the protestantes , to bryng and reconcile the princis & people to the obedience of the sea apostolike ( for so was the pretence of our ambassade , albeit it succeded not very prosperously , & we reconciled very few ) there wer at that tyme prisoners to th emperors maiesty Iohn Friderike , Duke & Curfuster of Saxonie , & Philip Landtgraue of Hesse . Than I with my right reuerend collegues , as obedient children , accordyng to our instructions gaue counsell to th emperor and his most noble brother the kyng of Romains , that they shuld cause those two princes heades to be openly cut of , as the ringleaders and mainteynours of heretikes .

For by this meanes and with this terrour an ende at length should haue ben made of all heresies in Germanye . But their maiesties thought it not best to folow such counsaile , and therefore , the matters of the sea Apostolike be in that countrey as they be : that is , they were neuer in worse case , and I see , they wyll be euery day worse & worse . And I hauyng the like commission at this present from our most holy father pope Paul the fourthe , haue often geuen counsaile to this most noble king of Polone , exhortyng him that he wold cause to be cut of .viii. or x. heades of the most chiefe of those that go about to stirre vp this doctrine of the Lutherans in Polone : For this is the right way to kepe the realme cleane from heresies

It is true , that I haue gyuen this councel to the kinges maiestie , & I haue vttred it vnto one that is in great authoritie with him , to th intent he shuld helpe to persuade him . Nowe suche a matter of so great importance which wold haue ben kepte so secrete as euer any was , least it shuld brede more enuy & batred vnto the most holy vicars of Christ , suche a matter I say , I feare it be disclosed & opened abrode in euery corner . For the said lord Counte Palatine hath laid it to my charge by his letters : & hauing writen it , it is no doubt but he hath spoken it , & wil speke it vnto others .

Now pleseth it your honor to consider , in what case I stande , and of what mynde I maye be , and whether I haue reasonable cause to desire to be dispatched hence . Those that be the promoters of these heresies be in any & mighty . I haue done what I coulde to ridde the world of them . Truly ther hath been no lack on my behalf . What think you thei wil do towards me if I continue long in their eies ? I can loke for non other than to be banned cursed railed & cried out vpon , if no wors happen . But this is the greueth me most , that they wil go about to sprede horrible tales abrode against our holy fathers holinesse , not only in Polone , but also throughout al Germany , & wyl saye , as their maner is , that these be the Councels that his holynes wil make : that is , with choppynge of heades , & other such like violences : Yea I vnderstand they speake it all redy , and wonderfully blow it abrode : wherby I doo perceiue a wonderful impediment & hurt to the doing of those thinges that the most Reuerend and noble Cardinall of Caraffa hath lately committed vnto me by his letters , that is , to let them vnderstand , that this their desire to make a nationall councel , is a part and point of an heretike . And that therfore they speake not nor thinke therof , but tary for a general councel , which his holynes wyl shortly make . I say in this now am I altogyther occupied , and I thought I myght haue don some good in deferrynge and prolongynge the tyme , as his holynes desyre is : but the matter beyng disclosed ( as I haue sayd before ) I can not se but al men be against me , no man wyl here me , all mens myndes are alienate from me and vtterly set against me . In somuch ( to be short ) wer it not for these most reuerend fathers , specially this most Reuerend father , the said Archbishop , who is my sainctuary , I could not tell where to saue my lyfe , they speake so muche euyl of me . And whan thei haue nothyng to talk of , than they go about saying , thei know for what cause I can not be made cardinal : as thogh I shuld be angry with God for that it hath plesed him I shuld be born out of lauful matrimony . I am content it hath plesed him to make me to be born a christen man , and therfore I passe not vpon that other . But this combreth me excedyngly to vnderstand that ther goth about a certain letter printed in diuers tongues , wherein bicause I was assistent to the most reuerend of good memory Cardinall Crescentius the Legate in the councel of Trent , al thyng is imputed to me & my counsel that was done in the same councel of Trent , and specially that audience was not geuen to the Lutherans , as in dede it was not mete nor ought to be . For I confesse , that I haue alwayes ben of this opinion , that he which is out of the church , ought not to be admitted to speak of matters of the churche . But those that vnderstand it on the contrary part , whan I shall speake any more of the holdynge of a generall councell , will out of all peraduenture say to my face , that we mynd to make it suche a Councel as he counsailed & laboured to be don at Trent : that is not to here the other parte . Your honour with your noble brethern M. Francisce ( the light of the common welth of Venece ) and M. Paule made so much of , and gaue so muche honor vnto our holy fathers holynes , when he was a barefooted Frier at Venece , that his holynes beyng most myndfull and thankfull I knowe , is desirous also to requite and doo you pleasure agayne . Wherfore I hartily beseche your honour let it stande with your pleasure to bestowe one droppe of the fauor that ye are in , and cause me to bee rydde out of these troubles and daungers . And it may please his holynes to vnderstand , that it is to no purpose for me to haue the doyng of thynges here any longer , for the greate hatred that I haue already purchased me . Let his holynes consyder whether it be better to send one to supply my place , or to leue this realme without any Legate , which in myne opinion were best , bicause he can not be here any longer with honor & estimation

Moreouer I think , that when that shal be done , and is done , yet these men wil haue it after their owne fantasy , and there wyll be a great scisme , so that the nobilitie will folow one way and one doctrine , and the byshops an other . And yet I can tell you , not all the byshops , for one part of them begyn to halte , and a lyttel thyng will make them agree with the Counte Palatine ( of whom I write ) and the others . But lette his holynes doo , as it pleaseth hym , in sendynge or not sendyng an other Legate to supply my place , so he dispatche me hence , & that quickly . Who can see , who can suffer , that at the Shroftide , disguysynges , maskes , & mummeries of monkes , fryers , and Cardinals , shulde be openly made , to the open shame & reproche of all the hole order of the Churche , as there hath ben here in my time ? And who can disgest these troubles , these villanies , and not thynke vppon the daunger of his lyfe ? Muche good doo it hym : surely I aknowlage my selfe to be a manne that can not doo it . And I haue no hope that I shal be hable hereafter to do any good here . To be playn I haue done as muche as was possible for me to doo , to lette the diet and parliament that shal be kept at Bartilmew tide : But yet notwithstandynge it will procede . Neither shal it auaile to wast my braines & destroy my body , suffring my self to be tost from place to place in Couche , in company of the said most reuerende Archbishop thorough all the greater and the lesse Polone , and so to haue brought to passe , that the noble kyng hath geuen commandement contrary to the determinacion & conclusion of the last parliament , as I aduertised our holy fathers holynes , to the great grudging of the aduersaries . Besides I fear lest these felowes shal cause men to come out of Germany , & specially out of Schwitzerland half a dosin of the greatest clerkes & most famous diuines that be ther , bicause it is bruted abrode , that the Pope mynded to sende of his diuines to this parliament to defend our cause . And all be it I haue bothe sayd and earnestly affirmed in euery place , that they shulde not thinke , that his holynes will euer sende or consent to any such parliament , which shal be none other but a nationall councell . Yet neuertheles as farre as I can vnderstand , they mynd to cause of our enemies , diuines of other contreys to come hither : Your honour may consider , what confections these men wil make , and what consultations and conclusions they wyll determyne agaynsts vs . God helpe vs , for I se the matters be in a very euyll case . I recommende me vnto your honor .